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Reviews

With such a low pricetag, it's hard to expect much in the way of quality. But of the three I bought, one had the dreamcatcher fall off the pouch five minutes out of the box. But it glued back on easily, and I've been very happy with the dream catchers. They're very cute and have some sense of looking "real". My daughters have come up with a story that the pouch is where their bad dreams are trapped, helping them be more comfortable when going to bed.

Reviews

Medicine Bag and Dog Tags is a poor representation of Native American contributions to US military causes. I am Native American veteran and enrolled. The reasons for Native Americans joining US military forces are as complex as are our differences amonst First Nations and each history of our struggle to deal with the dominant cultural and political realities represented by the inevitable facts of the United States. We love this land and by extension we have loved the United States. The extraordinry reality of our Native experiences with the United States is improperly explored by Al Carroll. Al Carroll misses completely the rich ironies, dichotomies, internal struggles to advance our tribal identities by military service. There have always been Native American warriors who sacrificed themselves in military service for the colonies and the United States in order to advance our standing among the greater political reality. Any telling of our story must be uplifting and investigate the complexities of our relationships with ourselves, each other and with the dominant culture. Our sacrifices for America demand honor and respect for that is what we have earned. Our stories of duty for country are authentic. Al Carroll is not authentic and does all First Nations a disservice with this book! Al Carroll comes from a non-Native reality while invoking bitterness, even dishonor and scarecly touches upon the complexities of our reality. This book is an extension of his bitter and libelous web site NAFPS.ORG where Al Carroll attempts to police Native Americans and non-Native spiritual activity alike with fear, venom and inuendo. Al Carroll sets himself up as a vengeful agent for what he believes is spiritual wrongdoing. Al Carroll however has no spiritual authority in the Native American world in order to make any claims whatsoever. Al Carroll has no Native American spiritual teachings in order to be authentic. There are many ways to support First Nations, Al Carroll acts with hubris and negativity. Al Carroll's false moral righteousness and self righteous indignity does not help First Nations to be understood by the larger culture.

I am a USMC veteran from the 1st Gulf war. I first bought the book because I thought an Apache warrior was going to talk about our proud history of serving in the military using history and his experience as a thesis. I am disillusioned. I am appalled by this book, and many of the Eurocentric positions from which this author frames his arguments to speak on behalf of our first nations warriors. I did not complete reading the book, but ended up using it to prop up our front room couch where the kids broke part of a support leg on the left side. I am greatly disappointed in yet another pointless affront to our service men and women of the first nations.

Having purchased the book, I can say first hand, the author's bias is acute. The rating would be totally negative. The author attempts to denigrate the American Indian veteran as a creature that cares not for America at all. A special insult to Lori Piestewa is offered on p.217, where Carroll says she joined the Army as "an unwed mother" with children--for the military welfare system, not for any reasons of love of country. Of course, Al Carroll has offered absolutely not one shred of evidence that he himself is Indian, or that he has any personal understanding of Indians, or that he has any real postive regard for Indians. Instead, he uses Indians to validate his social ideology--which would appear to be anti-American socialist. It is a nifty Leftist use of Indians, nothing more. His book claims to be an unravelling of false concepts and stereotypes about Indians, but it is really simply a consistent front to defraud Indians of their great service to and love for the United States of AMerica. Carroll does Indians a terrible disservice in this book. There are several pages of stark, raving libel about Dr. David Yeagley, a fifth generation, enrolled Comanche, of Oklahoma. Caroll obviously is in some personally motivated denial of Yeagley's identity and accomplishments. That such personal agonies should be kneaded into a supposedly scholarly book is a real shame to the academic world. Al perpetuates non-demonstrable gossip as though it were historical fact. This is simply unforgivable in a scholar--especially when it is obviously a personal problem. Yeagleys genealogy is well known and published, in fact. The book appears to be therefore an endless narrative of personal opinion, with attempts now and then to buttress the trend of thought with happenstance references, when not wholly non-demonstrable or imaginary reference. Therefore, grave doubts are cast on all other portions of the book. With eleven pages of point-blank libel about Dr. David A. Yeagley, what else is false and inaccurate in the book?

Save your money. Order 'Warriors in Uniform' instead - it's released on Veteran's Day 2008. Having previewed both books, there is NO comparison. Seasoned writer H.J. Viola has more than 12 Native books to his credit. 'Warriors in Uniform' takes you places Al Carroll's never will - Carroll seems too addicted to some odd displaced bias, including a strange affair of the ego with some character he either dreamed up, or can expect a lawsuit from shortly. Viola, on the other hand, has so many credits to his name (and doesn't free-ride on the dubious status of 'part-Indian-ness' to peddle his book) and features an Introduction by the esteemed Ben Nighthorse Campbell. PLUS - Viola, who was once Director of the Smithsonian and the key man responsible for what respect that institution actually affords Indians (finally) - shares his access to otherwise unseen PHOTOGRAPHS that will stir the hearts of all Veterans and their Loved Ones! EVERYONE in AMERICAN SHOULD HAVE VIOLA's BOOK especially now. Yes, he includes coverage of Indians in Iraq too!Because of his status he was able to include virtually last minute updates, something missing from Carroll's college thesis which reads stale. At the pre-order price of $19.80 compared to Al Carroll's over-priced thesis+screwy personal addiction drama, I encourage readers to pre-order Viola's 'WARRIORS IN UNIFORM and if you want to have a third class diatrible (die-a-tribe?) to compare Viola's work to, pick up a used copy of Carroll's somewhere down the road. Carroll gets one star for selecting some honorable vets to write about, but he loses that star when the reader can't help but feel he is using even them as a shield, exploiting them for his what appears to be his true agenda, that weird personal vendetta thing, not just against his shadow-man, but seemingly against a lot of very good people who have paved the wave for this current Native American Resurgeance! (Where's the honor?) Maybe this is a biased review, but then, look what I had to work with - a very, very biased book by Carroll. By the time I finished Carrol's, I felt like I'd barely survived an unprovoked skirmish, when I had been anticipating a meaningful reunion! Viola's book can be pre-ordered on Amazon, is probably even featured to the right of the page on Carrol's. Decide for yourself. I did.

I deeply appreciate all that Carroll does in this book to bring the story of Native veterans to the American public, especially Lakota who served. From Pierre From Above and Richard Fool Bull in World War I, Ral Leana in Vietnam, and Ray Sheldon Eagle Hawk in Iraq, as well as warriors for our people like Milo Yellow Hair and Dennis Banks. I also liked reading about our war songs and honor songs for the World Wars written by Fire Shaker, Korean War songs by Lakota Thunder and Ellis Chips. Carroll has brought attention to my people and my relatives, and for that he will always be honored by Lakotas, and remembered well. Other tribes are not left out, and what he writes is the history of all our people, history that others need to know, and the whys and hows. This book should be required reading in any course on Indians, and in any course in military colleges so that others will know why we serve in uniform more than any other race. I do not know what to think of that "just another" character's review, as it is strange. He does not seem to have read the book at all, or perhaps he has some other problems in his life he is taking out on the author. People that are so angry for no reason that they make up craziness and lies are just to be pitied and prayed for. I have spoken, and it is good.